Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	ask_v	pray_v	prayer_n	1,061	5	6.7888	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13341	Of the markes of the children of God and of their comforts in afflictions. To the faithfull of the Low Countrie. By Iohn Taffin. Ouerseene againe and augmented by the author, and translated out of French by Anne Prowse.; Des marques des enfans de Dieu. English	Taffin, Jean, 1529-1602.; Prowse, Anne.	1590 (1590)	STC 23652; ESTC S118085	100,800	270

for vs in heauen and to giue vs euerlasting enioying of them as when wee are depriued of them being persecuted for his name And that which more is when wee feele weakenes in faith negligence to heare the worde of GOD coldnesse in charitie impatience in our afflictions and we hauing asked of God graces cōtrarie vnto these feele no amendment his wil is to make vs feele that these graces are the gifts of God seeing we haue them not when we will and that he wil keepe vs in humilitie by the feeling of our infirmities and trie our patience faith in waighting patiently vntill hee make vs feele the fruite of our praiers I thinke well wilt thou say that those that pray vnto God feruentlie and continue constantlie in such praiers haue therin testimonies that they are the children of God are assured to be heard But what comfort may I take therein seeing my praiers are so colde and with so litle feeling of zeale faith required in them But is it not in the name of Iesus Christ that thou prayest And it is for the loue of his welbeloued Sonne Ioh. 16.23 our aduocate and mediatour that God heareth vs and not for the excellencie of our praiers It is as it were Exo. 28.38 by the mouth of Iesus Christ that we present our praiers to God to be sanctified by him and acceptable to God for his sake in whom he hath delight Mat. 17.5 Satan the enemie of our praiers by the feeling of this infirmitie would make thee leaue praying to thy God Resist thē this tēptation Thinke that it is not a thing indifferent or left in thy liberty to pray to God or not Mat. 6.9 God hath cōmāded thee to pray 1. Th. 5.17 thou owest him obedience it is an honour he requireth of thee thou canst not denie it him Mat. 22.37 God cōmandeth thee to loue him with al thy hart Wilt thou say I will not loue God at all because I loue him so coldly I will help the poore no more because I cannot doo it with a feruent charitie To conclude what infirmitie or coldnes soeuer thou feelest thou art bound to pray and to continue in thy dutie Ro. 12.12 In the mean time acknowledge thy infirmitie and in thy prayers aske double pardon first of thy sinnes which thou hast committed before secondly for this sinne that thou prayest to God so negligently See how GOD supporting the infirmitie of thy prayers will smell a sweete sauour of them as incense offered by our high Priest Iesus Christ Psal 141.2 and shall make thee at last feele the fruite of thy praiers Manie cōplaine of another infirmitie that hardly they begin their praiers but in stead of thinking of God of that which they aske of him their minde is wandring other where And for this they are vexed and troubled and in truth it is a great infirmitie for the which we ought gretly to be displeased with our selues Notwithstanding it is common to all the children of God in general Chrisostome reproouing those of his time for this infirmitie sheweth quickly the first originall and after the remedie Chrisost Homil. of the Canaanit Mat. 13 Whence commeth this saith he that if we talke of warre of merchandize or of other things of the world wee can discourse a great while without thinking of anie other thing and so soone as wee set our selues to praye vnto God our mindes wander It is because the Diuel knoweth well that in speaking of things of this world thou deost him no hurt therefore he suffereth thee to talk at thy pleasure but when he seeth that thou settest thy selfe vpon thy knees to pray to God he knoweth that thou goest to procure that which is against his heart to the ruine of his kingdōe Therfore he thrusts himself in by by trobling drawing thy thoughts hither thither to hinder the fruite of thy praiers Say then to satan who is hard by thee and fighteth against thee go behind me satan for I must pray to my God And if hee bee importunate yet must thou pray to god to driue him away frō thee So thinking to whom thou speakest to wete to the Maiestie of God and how great things thou askest of him be displeased with thy infirmity fight against it lifting vp thy hands to heauen cōtinue in praier and doo it so much the more couragiouslie and constantlie for that satan feareth nothing more thā the praiers of the children of God showeth sufficiently in going about to troble and turn away their mindes to other things that he feeleth himselfe hindred by their praiers and that hee feareth the fruite of them On the other side if it happen that by affliction either of body or of spirite thou art so cast downe that thou cast not make a framed praier vnto God bee not discouraged for that for at the least thou canst desire thine owne health saluation There is neither sicknes nor yet tyrant that can let thee to desire now desire is praier before God saith Saint Augustine according whereunto Dauid saith that God heareth the desire of the humble Psal 10.17 Say thou then with Dauid Lord all my desire is before thee Psa 38 10. and the sighs of my thoughts are not hid from thee Ezechias King o Iuda in his affliction Esai 38.14 could not distinctly pray vnto God but chattered as a Crane or a Swallowe and mourned as the Doue yet so lifting vp his eyes on high hee was heard What prayer maketh the little Infant to his mother Hee weepeth and cryeth not beeing able to expresse what hee lacketh The Mother offereth him the breast or giueth him some other thing such as shee thinketh his necessitie requireth Much more then the heauenly father heedeth the sighes the groanes the desires and teares of his children and dooing the office of a Father he heareth them and prouideth for them The 4. temtation because of the little increas of grace by the exercises of religion Mat. 13.19 There are some also that doubt of their adoption saluation because they feele not anie comfort or increase of the graces of GOD neither by reading or hearing the word neither by communicating at the holie Supper of the Lord. Now if thou feele thy selfe afflicted and troubled in this respect vnderstand that when thou goest to employ thy selfe in these spirituall excrcises satan followeth thee to make it vnsauerie to thee yea and to take out of thy minde the word of GOD that thou hast heard Pray then to GOD that he driue him away from thee Secondlie this commeth forasmuch as thou art not yet much accustomed to the language of the holie Ghost so as it is to thee as if thou didst heare an excellent sermon but of one whose language thou didst scarce vnderstand whereby thou canst neither feele taste nor pleasure and so thou canst receiue but small pro sit

of kindnes of humility of meeknes of longsuffering forbearing one another and forgiuing one another if any man haue a quarel with another euē as Christ hath forgiuen you Loue one another 1. Ihon 10 as God hath loued you For herein is the difference betwene the children of God and the children of the deuil wherein ye may be knowne to be the true disciples of Christ Ye are al members of one body Iho. 13.35 let there be no diuision or parts-taking among you 1. Cor. 12 25 but feele the afflictions of those that weepe to weepe with them and to comfort them reioyce with those that reioyce to praise God with them If yee be the Citizens of the City Ierusalem wil haue a sure dwelling in it walke in integritie Psal 15 labour to deale iustly speake the truth from your harts keepe you from slandering couetousnes and all other corruption Acknowledge in al men the image of God whereunto you owe honor loue and in your brethren acknowledge the renuing of this image Gala. 6.10 and the brotherly coniunction in Christ in doing good to al men 1. Pet. 4.10 loue honor and help especially those that are of the houshold of faith Ye are debtors to your neighbors of all that ye haue 1. Pet. 4.8 or are able to do to be disposers of it with condition that ye render to God an account Iam. 1.19 Honor the graces of God in your brethren and couer their infirmities by charitie be quicke to heare but slowe to speake and slow to wrath For the wrath of man worketh not that which is righteous in the sight of God Do not desire hope or imagine any other means to prosper by thā by the blessing of God And do not looke that hee stould aduaunce by the ayde of his blessing that which he hath accursed by his mouth So go forward in the amendment of your liues that this day may passe yesterday Seale to the puritie of the doctrine with the holines of your life that the ignorant seing your blameles conuersatiō 1. Pet. 2.12 esteming you by your good workes may glorifie God and imbrace the gospel with you Luke 7.1 when it shall please GOD to call them Haue mind of that great curse pronoūced by the high Iudge 2. Cor. 13 11 against such as offend any of the very least Furthermore reioyce in the Lord indeuour to be perfect be comforted be of one consent liue in peace Phil. 2.13 and the God of loue and peace shall be with you But as it is God which worketh in vs both to will in worke to accomplish according to his good pleasure 6. To pray to God So aboue all thinges imploy your selues to pray feruently continually Prayer saith Chrysostome is the soule of our souls For it also is the soule which quickneth al the actions of the children of God It was the lifting vp of Moses hands to heauen Exo. 17.11 which strengthned Iosuah his army gaue him victorie ouer the Amalckites And in deede without the grace of God the which we obtaine by prayer all that we do is but vanitie Faith is the key that openeth the coffers of the treasures of our God Prayer is the hand to draw it out to inrich our selues Prayer lifteth vp our hearts from earth to heauen it renueth the memorie of the promises of God to confirme vs it assureth vs against all that wee can feare it obtaineth all that we can desire It giueth rest and contentment to our soules It keepeth and strengtheneth the feare to offend God It increaseth the desire to go vnto him whom in praying we feele to be the spring and heape of all good things It ingendreth in vs a stedfast despising of the world and renouncing of the flesh it representeth vnto vs the heauenly and euerlasting felicitie that we may aspire to the inioying of them There is nothing to bee more desired than to be conuersant with him without whome we can not be happy But he that wil alwayes be with GOD he must alwaies eyther pray or reade For when we pray we talke with God and when wee reade Aug. in Psal 85. God talketh with vs. The more we are exercised in prayer to God the more we increase in godlines Therefore also we may not be weary or faint-hearted in prayer although the Lord deferre to make vs feele the fruite of our prayers For we haue a promise of him that can not lie that whatsoeuer we aske of GOD in the name of Iesus Christ it shal be giuen vs. If he deferre for some time to make vs feele the fruit of our praiers it is for our greater benefite Let vs continue still and waight knowing assuredly that he who according to his fatherly loue bounty desireth our good can according to his infinite power giue that which we aske of him and according to his truth will hear vs he also according to his wisdōe knoweth the fittest time as is before said and the meanes most apt to make vs feele the fruite of our praiers When we aske of God saith S. Bernard euen those thinges that concerne this present life our praiers are not so soone gone out of our mouth but they are written in his booke and we ought saith he to be assured that hee will either giue the thing it selfe which we haue asked or other things which hee knoweth to bee more profitable for vs. To conclude Praier is the most mightie and fruitfull worke of charitie seeing by it we helpe our neighbors present absent knowen and vnknowen great and little and that both with spirituall and corporall good things drawing by our praiers the blessing of God vpon them And in this confidence my very deare and worshipfull Brethren I will continue in this dutie and office of charitie earnestlie to pray to God for you and particularlie I will water with my praiers to God this Exhortation which I haue directed vnto you beseeching him with all my heart that beeing comforted and strengthened thereby in the doctrine of the truth which yee haue receiued yee may continue constantly in it sealing it by the works of godlinesse and charitie comforting your selues in the Lord in that yee are his welbeloued Children in Iesus Christ and surmounting al temptations and assaults to the ende that by the power of the holy Ghost departing Conquerors out of all conflicts ye may attaine at the last to the crowne of glorie which God hath prepared to all his childrē 1. Thess 5.23 through Iesus Christ our Lord. Now the GOD of peace sanctifie you throughout and preserue your whole spirit and soule and bodie blamelesse vntill the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ He that hath called you is faithfull who also will doo it I also beseech you my brethren to imploy your seiues more and more in feruent and continuall praiers for the preseruation prosperitie and